The link between sustainable fashion and the life cycle of a garment

Deepti Naval’s character as the Chamko Detergent sales girl in the ’80s comedy Chashme Badoor became iconic for the mundane middle class of that time. The role was a play on the in-your-face advertisements that emphasise the importance of laundry, an integral chore that most of us pay the least attention to (unless, of course, if the clothes are expensive).

With changing times, now, more than ever, there is a need to address the impact of sustainability at the consumption stage. Shift has always been a thinking brand, and applied a common sense approach to sustainability in design. However, a large part of how a garment goes through its life cycle is in the consumers’ hands. I took my curiosity to Gurpreet Kohli and Neelam Solanki from the Unilever Technical Insights team to investigate and gather anecdotes on myths, consumer behaviour, perceptions on garment care and make sense of care labels, translating them into easier-to-understand terms for the consumer.

People are buying more expensive items and they want longevity in them. Where do you think dry cleaning comes into this?

Neelam Solanki: Consumers prefer to dry clean silk fabrics as they are sensitive to water. Over time, the alternative care options that are available for a delicate fabric like silk, people start extending to others as well. Many care labels recommend this method, especially for premium ones like linen. People also prefer dry clean as an option when washing with water could lead to issues like colour damage or shrinkage in the fabric.

As a market leader, you are obviously looking at trends and anticipating how things are going to change in, say, 10 years from now.

NS: We do. Say for example in Europe, washing temperatures used to be really high. Over the years they have slowly started going down—people are more cautious now about saving energy—so, obviously, washing machines are also changing, which influences how we design our products. These days, more than fabric damage, the big concern is colour damage. The moment you realise something has lost its vibrancy, you discard it. You are fine with flimsy products now because you know you aren’t going to wear it for long. It appears that garment manufacturers also factor in this element into the life of their clothes.

Gurpreet Kohli: People assume an average fabric will last four-to-five years. That’s given that the cleaning process we use is hand washing and then drying in the sun.

So what is the future of laundry?

GK: It’s definitely more in the space of garment care. There has always been a need for a balance between cleaning and care and it’s shifting more towards care. For example, people are increasingly using fabric conditioners. Sitting in air-conditioned spaces, we probably don’t sweat as much so you want something that will refresh more than cleanse.

What about something like dry cleaning kits for the home?

GK: I think the world is moving away from harsh chemicals.

Which is great in terms of the environment…

GK: Yes, so that’s what we are also trying to do. The direction is to make our products simpler with less chemicals and so on. I think the consumer is also expecting the same thing. They want convenient, but effective solutions that cause less damage to the environment.

NS: We have the technology and the products, we’re just waiting for the consumer to be ready.

GK: That’s where garment manufacturers come in. They must design clothes that are simpler to take care of and must also help educate the consumer on how they can do it best.

It seems like there is a big gap in the communication of care.

GK: That’s the problem with this whole chain. It’s so fragmented. A synergised approach between garment manufacturers and the detergent industry would give the best results to our consumers. However, since the garment industry is very fragmented, scale is difficult to achieve in the current context.

NS: For example, look at the personal care category. The consumer struggles to understand the regimen. You have a face wash, a moisturiser, a hydration cream, a toner and so much more. How do they use them and how do they choose when the market is so flooded with choices? The same applies to hair care. Someone will buy a conditioner and a mask and use them both and find that their hair has gone limp. You have to offer them the regimen and tell them when to use it. The question is how do we educate people. The design of the communication has to work in sync with that education.

Do people understand care labels? They can be so intimidating with all the different logos.

GK: If you took a poll, most people would not be able to tell you what the symbols stand for. In fact, most people only look at the label after the wash has damaged their garment.

NS: And the instructions can be quite technical. I mean, how does an average consumer know if the water is at 40 degrees or 30 degrees?

GK: Or you and I might, because we know the risks of using fabric conditioner on a synthetic, but that’s it.

It’s almost a private conversation, the audience is left out.

GK: And some of these instructions are very technical. Unless the consumer understands the reasons behind them, they are unlikely to follow these instructions.

Is there an attempt to design that communication in an easier way?

GK: As consumers get more informed, they will demand even more details. For example, everyone has a smartphone now. Why not make it such that you can scan a care label and it will tell you what it means? Or have some sort of code on the fabric that tells you how you’re supposed to treat it?

EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON SUSTAINABILITY

Colour“Being part of the Auroville Community where we practice ‘Karma Yoga’, we believe in being part of nature and take a holistic approach in the use of natural dyes. Natural dyeing is the only way to sustainability as it promotes a complete cycle, from the growing of plants in a natural, organic or wild way to natural residue that can be used for compost and harmless residual water for irrigation or recycling. It is very passionate and challenging, but working with brands and accepting the challenges of their orders come with is fun—it brings us joy to see more and more brands committing to eco-friendly fashion.”Jesus, founder and dyer, Colors of Nature, Auroville

Repair“I am 56 years old and have been doing this job since I was nine years old. My father and elder brother were also in the same trade. As a ‘Master Darner’ [after I’m done with a piece], one should not be able to see the individual stitches at all. It’s a skill developed through experience, but once you have it, other things can be done at the same time—in fact, I am darning right now as I speak to you!”R Ghulam Javed, master darner, Band Box , Bengaluru

Care“I always like to have my clothes as second skin. All my jackets and denim play that role for me. In the winters, my khadi-Kachchhi wool indigo dyed jacket has always cared for me. I have been wearing the same jacket for the last few years and it moulds with my body and my everyday. It’s 100 per cent handmade and ages gracefully. Even when not worn, it has my form when hanging in my closet. It breathes and lets me breathe…”Shani Himanshi, designer, 11.11 eleven/eleven, Delhi